ERS 345 Outing #1
Time and date: 19/09/20 8:30 AM
Duration: 120 minutes
Location: Bruce Trail to Stormhaven, Bruce Peninsula National Park, ON
Weather: 21°, scattered clouds, no precipitation, moderate winds
Habitat: Deciduous forest, Alvar Great Lakes shoreline
On a beautiful Friday morning, myself, my fellow classmate Shalini, and two of our other friends set out on a 5 kilometer hike to Stormhaven, a backcountry campsite in Bruce Peninsula National Park. The first part of the trail was wide and heavily disturbed since it is a popular section of trail in the park, which explains why we found inky cap fungi along the side of the trail right away. Inky caps can be identified by their bell-shaped cap with crowded gills that are initially a colour of white, but rapidly turn black and deliquesce (so weird and cool). Once we were deeper into the forested trail, we found other fungi species that are characteristic of the deciduous forest habitat, including orange coral and birch polypore, which can be identified because it grows on birch trees and gets softer as it ages (contrary to many other polypores).
As we continued on our hike we also saw an American red squirrel and an eastern chipmunk, both of which were observed to be foraging, likely in preparation for the upcoming winter. Two of my favourite species we had the luck of observing were a western boreal chorus frog and an American toad, both of which were spotted on the forest floor in similar habitat about half an hour apart. The chorus frog can be identified by its tiny size and three dark dorsal stripes, which can appear differently on different individuals – such as this one in my picture where the stripes form a kind of diamond pattern. Although there are two species of chorus frogs in Ontario, their ranges do not overlap, allowing me to be certain this is a western chorus frog. The American toad is easily identified by its dorsal midline stripe and bumps all over its body. The presence of these species indicates that the deciduous forest we were hiking in is in good ecological health, as amphibians are valuable indicator species due to their permeable skin, requirement of several habitat types, and sensitivity to changes in their environment.
After hiking through the deciduous forest we reached the Great Lakes shoreline, which consists of beautiful white rocky beaches and adjacent, rare Alvar habitats full of old eastern white cedar trees in calcareous rock. As we were walking along the shoreline, we had the gnarly opportunity to observe a northern water snake in the process of consuming an unknown fish species. Although there are few lizards that forage under water, aquatic snakes like this one will forage both in and out of the water, making them an interesting species for studying diet and foraging habits.
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